Málaga renews its status as a Smart Tourism Destination

Málaga has renewed its recognition as a Smart Tourism Destination, a distinction that highlights the city’s work to modernise its tourism model and apply tools designed to improve both the visitor experience and residents’ quality of life.

The renewal follows a new diagnostic update carried out in May 2026. According to the Smart Tourism Destinations network, Málaga has again surpassed 80% compliance with the requirements established by the DTI methodology.

A tourism model based on data and innovation

The Smart Tourism Destination methodology was created by Spain’s State Secretariat for Tourism through SEGITTUR. It analyses five main areas: governance, innovation, technology, sustainability and accessibility.

In total, the system assesses 97 requirements and 261 indicators, helping destinations move towards more competitive, efficient and responsible tourism management.

In Málaga’s case, the process was coordinated by the city’s Tourism and Promotion Department, with the participation of several municipal departments that provided information to validate the model’s indicators.

The recognition strengthens Málaga’s tourism strategy, which in recent years has focused on data-based management, decentralising visitor flows, improving accessibility, promoting sustainability and incorporating technology into destination planning.

Málaga as a smart urban destination

The city first joined the Smart Tourism Destinations project in 2020, when its diagnostic report and action plan were prepared. After renewing its status as a member destination in 2024, the new 2026 diagnosis has allowed Málaga to regain full Smart Tourism Destination recognition.

The distinction comes at a key moment for Málaga, which continues to grow as an urban, cultural, technological and MICE tourism destination. The official destination profile notes that in 2025 the city exceeded 1.83 million hotel travellers, recorded 3.75 million overnight stays and welcomed 331 cruise calls with more than 570,000 passengers.

Quality tourism and coexistence with the city

The renewal of the DTI distinction fits with Málaga’s objective of focusing its tourism model on quality rather than quantity. The city’s 2026-2029 Strategic Tourism Plan aims to develop higher-value segments, strengthen sustainability, improve coexistence with residents and use technology to make more accurate decisions.

Málaga is also working on tourism monitoring tools to analyse data continuously and anticipate challenges such as visitor concentration, the evolution of tourist apartments and the impact of tourism in different neighbourhoods.

With this renewal, Málaga consolidates its position within Spain’s national network of smart destinations and reinforces its image as a Mediterranean, cultural, connected city committed to more sustainable tourism management.

The information comes from the article published by Vida Económica and from the official information provided by the Smart Tourism Destinations network managed by SEGITTUR.